Letter to Grandchildren about Snow

Hi everyone,
I have heard that almost everyone in the family has had snow lately except for Kyla in Florida. Grandpa and I have had lots of snow in the last few days in Helsinki. We may look as if we are cold in the picture but we really are just fine. Both of us are wearing winter clothes and shoes that keep us warm when we are outside.

We live on a busy street called Liisankatu. Even though it is a busy street, it is not very wide. There is room for two cars on the road with cars parked on both sides of the street. With all of the snow, it is a challenge to find a place to stack the snow that has been plowed and I am sure for people to find a place to park. Have you seen the big piles of snow that are sometimes heaped up from clearing a big parking lot like at a grocery store or Target? We have piles of snow on corners of the street here and in spots where cars used to park.

Last night it snowed again. About five o'clock in the morning the small plows were out clearing the streets and the sidewalks. They seem to work most of the day in some part of town. Then when the sun goes down around four o'clock the big dump trucks come out. The snow plows turn into front loaders and they scoop up the snow and dump it into the back of the truck. When the truck is full it drives off. I have read that one of the places that they dump snow is in the empty fields at the airport.


This is a funny picture of one of the small plows trying to dig into a huge pile of snow. If you look closely you will see that the wheels are off the ground. I didn't take this picture so I wonder how they got the plow back on its wheels.

Yesterday morning as Grandpa and I were leaving our apartment building, we met four men coming in carrying shovels. They were dressed a lot like firefighters. They were going up to the roof to make sure that there was no snow there that would fall onto people walking on the sidewalks below. When we got outside, we saw that there were barriers and tape stretched out to prevent people from walking on part of the sidewalk by our building. This is a picture of some men on a roof clearing off snow.

And here is a dump truck having the snow emptied from its back.

Sometimes I wish that I didn't have to put on heavy boots to go outside, but it is interesting being in the middle of a big city in the winter time. Kimberly walked home from the Metro last year in a huge storm that hit Washington, DC and Northern Virginia. I hope that Grandpa and I will not have to walk through any big storms as she did. We'll let you know if we do.

Tomorrow is Sunday and Grandpa and I will be walking to church. We will be thinking about all of you. I wear winter boots and carry a pair of shoes. When we get to the building where church is held, I take off all of my winter clothes and put on the ordinary shoes. Both Leanna and Lisa can tell you stories about what it is like to have to go out in the snow all bundled up in order to walk or catch a bus to go to church.

We love all of you and miss you. This last picture was taken today. Tomorrow there will be a big celebration for the Chinese New Year and this square is getting ready for the event.

Lots of love,

Grandma and Grandpa

in Finland